In a typical cellular radio communication system, an area is divided geographically into a number of wireless coverage areas such as cells and sectors, each defined by a radiation pattern from one or more base station antennae of an access network. As an access terminal moves between coverage areas of the access network, when network conditions change, or for other reasons, the access terminal may switch from operating in one coverage area to operating in another coverage area. In a usual case, this switching process is triggered by the access terminal monitoring the signal strength of signals that it is receiving in various available coverage areas of the access network, and the access terminal and/or a radio network controller (RNC) determining when one or more threshold criteria are met.
In one typical example, the access terminal may monitor signal strength in various available coverage areas and then decide to switch to a new sector when the new sector has a signal strength that is sufficiently higher than the sector in which the access terminal is currently operating. The access terminal may then notify the access network of its decision to switch sectors. In turn, the access network may carry out the access terminal's decision to switch sectors by ending service of the access terminal in the current sector and beginning service of the access terminal in the new sector. While this arrangement generally works well to facilitate seamless service of the access terminal as it moves between wireless coverage areas, delays may occur during the switching process, impacting throughput. Accordingly, a more efficient process of controlling switching of access terminals between coverage areas is desired.